Sidney Bechet
Sidney Bechet was the first important jazz soloist on records in history (beating Louis Armstrong by a few months). A brilliant soprano saxophonist and clarinetist with a wide vibrato that listeners either loved or hated, Bechet's style did not evolve much through the years but he never lost his enthusiasm or creativity. A master at both individual and collective improvisation within the genre of New Orleans jazz, Bechet was such a dominant player that trumpeters found it very difficult to play with him. Bechet wanted to play lead and it was up to the other horns to stay out of his way.
Sidney Bechet studied clarinet in New Orleans with Lorenzo Tio, Big Eye Louis Nelson, and George Baquet and he developed so quickly that as a child he was playing with some of the top bands in the city. He even taught clarinet, and one of his students (Jimmie Noone) was actually two years older than him. In 1917, he traveled to Chicago, and in 1919 he joined Will Marion Cook's orchestra, touring Europe with Cook and receiving a remarkably perceptive review from Ernst Ansermet. While overseas he found a soprano sax in a store and from then on it was his main instrument. Back in the U.S., Bechet made his recording debut in 1923 with Clarence Williams and during the next two years he appeared on records backing blues singers, interacting with Louis Armstrong and playing some stunning solos. He was with Duke Ellington's early orchestra for a period and at one point hired a young Johnny Hodges for his own band. However, from 1925-1929 Bechet was overseas, traveling as far as Russia but getting in trouble (and spending jail time) in France before being deported.
Most of the 1930s were comparatively lean times for Bechet. He worked with Noble Sissle on and off and had a brilliant session with his New Orleans Feetwarmers in 1932 (featuring trumpeter Tommy Ladnier). But he also ran a tailor's shop which was more notable for its jam sessions than for any money it might make. However, in 1938 he had a hit recording of "Summertime," Hugues Panassie featured Bechet on some records and soon he was signed to Bluebird where he recorded quite a few classics during the next three years. Bechet worked regularly in New York, appeared on some of Eddie Condon's Town Hall concerts, and in 1945 he tried unsuccessfully to have a band with the veteran trumpeter Bunk Johnson (whose constant drinking killed the project). Jobs began to dry up about this time, and Bechet opened up what he hoped would be a music school. He only had one main pupil, but Bob Wilber became his protégé.
Sidney Bechet's fortunes changed drastically in 1949. He was invited to the Salle Pleyel Jazz Festival in Paris, caused a sensation, and decided to move permanently overseas. Within a couple years he was a major celebrity and a national hero in France, even though the general public in the U.S. never did know who he was. Bechet's last decade was filled with exciting concerts, many recordings, and infrequent visits back to the U.S. before his death from cancer. His colorful (if sometimes fanciful) memoirs Treat It Gentle and John Chilton's magnificent Bechet biography The Wizard of Jazz (which traces his life nearly week-by-week) are both highly recommended. Many of Sidney Bechet's recordings are currently available on CD.
© Scott Yanow /TiVo
Artistas similares
-
Classic Sides 1939-1940 (CD C)
Jazz - Editado por JSP Records el 1 ene. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Up A Lazy River
Jazz - Editado por Good Time Jazz el 1 ene. 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
BECHET, Sidney: Blackstick (1938-1950)
Jazz tradicional & Nueva Orleans - Editado por Naxos el 1 jul. 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1949
Jazz - Editado por Complete Jazz Series el 14 feb. 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sidney Bechet and His New Orleans Feetwarmers - Big Bands
Jazz - Editado por Bella Musica Edition el 29 jul. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Spreadin Joy (1940-1950)
Jazz tradicional & Nueva Orleans - Editado por Naxos el 15 may. 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Late Night Lovers
Jazz - Editado por Late Night Lovers el 23 oct. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz - The Essential Collection, Vol. 4 (Remastered)
Jazz - Editado por IN+OUT Records el 24 abr. 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Sidney Bechet - Claude Luter Vol 1 (Remastered)
Jazz - Editado por Avid Entertainment el 11 mar. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sidney Bechet: Petite Fleur
Jazz - Editado por Saar srl el 7 ago. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
In Concert At The Brussels Fair, 1958 (Live)
Sidney Bechet, Buck Clayton Sextet
Jazz - Editado por Efor, S.L el 16 mar. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1950 - 1951
Jazz - Editado por Complete Jazz Series el 15 oct. 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sidney Bechet - Claude Luter Vol 2 (Remastered)
Jazz - Editado por Avid Entertainment el 11 mar. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Jazz Nocturne 1 - Bunk, Bocage & Bechet in Boston
Bunk Johnson, Sidney Bechet, Peter Bocage
Jazz - Editado por Jazz Crusade el 1 ene. 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Essential Collection (Digitally Remastered)
Jazz - Editado por Avid Entertainment el 12 oct. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Il Grande Gatsby Compilation
Jazz - Editado por JB Production CH el 14 ago. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ze Best - Sidney Bechet
Jazz - Editado por Media Touch el 24 ene. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Charleston (Tribute to the Great Gatsby)
Pop - Editado por JB Classical Productions el 23 feb. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo